The Grass is Always Greener, The Sky a Little Brighter
by RatherAbysmal
Summary: Season one compliant and before Flashpoint. Life could have turned out very differently for Kara. She just didn't know how different until she wound up in an alternate universe. By accident, of course.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Supergirl. This is fanfiction.

* * *

There were a lot of things Kara couldn't explain in her life, things that defied logic and escaped reason, touched corners she could never reach and existed where she could only dream.

Surviving a direct contact explosion was no biggie for someone blessed with her powers but waking up in her own bed after said explosion, night to day, with no recollection of how she got there… was peculiar to say the least.

She just kind of laid there for a minute, staring at her ceiling and wondering why she wasn't recuperating back at the DEO. Alex and J'onn had been adamant about this particular protocol in the past but using her super hearing now, she could tell no one was waiting for her in her apartment. She was even still in her super suit.

Her room also smelled kind of different.

She twitched her nose and realized it was her bed. She rolled into her pillows and breathed in deep. She couldn't quite pin what the smell was but it was very familiar and abating. She felt the corners of her mouth lift. She liked it. She wouldn't mind cuddling with it every night, the scent just smothering her as the lazy tendrils licked at her consciousness.

Drowsily, she opened one eye to look at the clock. It took a few seconds for her sleepy brain to register the time but when it did, her blood ran cold. Today was a weekday and a weekday meant work.

She jumped out of bed and grabbed the nearest set of clean, wrinkled-free clothes she had. She quickly brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her hair, picked up her glasses and handbag and dove out the window. She was going to be late if she didn't leave _now_.

* * *

Kara rushed onto the floor of Catco, fixing her hair and straightening out her clothes. She may have cheated a little but one of the thousands of things Cat didn't tolerate was tardiness and the last thing Kara wanted was to set her boss on a disparaging spree for the rest of the day. She screeched to a stop when she caught sight of who was sitting at her desk.

"Siobhan?! What are you doing here?" Kara gaped. She rubbed at her eyes.

Siobhan looked up from her computer, striking an impeccable image in a sleek sleeveless dress against the white backdrop of the office wall. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"You're sitting at my desk!"

Siobhan raised an eyebrow high. "No, I'm pretty sure this is my desk."

"No! It's not!" Kara argued, shaking her head furiously. "What are you doing here anyway?! You were arrested! You tried to kill Cat and me!"

"Is this another one of your games, Danvers? Because it really isn't funny."

"No! I'm serious!" Kara scoured the office for support but no one seemed to notice the psychotic supervillain at the forefront of the room. The mailroom guy didn't even bat an eyelash when he dropped a stack of letters onto her desk, leaving Kara to mouth wordlessly after him.

Siobhan began sorting through the letters, pausing long enough to heave a pointed sigh. "As you can see, I'm busy so why don't you run along and get back to work before Ms. Grant fires you."

"Fires me? Why would I get fired?! You're sitting at my desk, using my computer when you shouldn't even be here!"

"Look…" Siobhan drawled. "I don't know what you've been taking or smoking but you need to calm down and go. Don't make me call security to escort you and your sorry eyesore of an outfit out."

Kara wanted to laugh. It had to be a joke. One big stupid joke. Only Siobhan didn't look like she was playing at all.

Kara threw up her hands. "What is happening here?!"

"That's what I'd like to know," Cat interrupted, peering out from her office door. "Sabine, why aren't you working? I don't pay you to sit and talk."

"Miss Danvers thinks I'm sitting at her desk," Siobhan said dryly. "She also thinks I have tried to kill you and her. God knows why."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time," Cat replied stiffly. She turned to Kara, looking her up and down in disapproval. "Quick, who are you? Before I call security."

Kara widened her eyes. "Miss Grant, it's me! Kara! I mean Kiera!"

"Poor girl doesn't even remember her own name," Siobhan said, sickly sweet. "She works downstairs in publishing with that web guy you're always calling up here to fix major IT problems."

"I see. You know, I really should consider moving him up here and getting rid of the current IT specialist… but he also does surprising work where he is now… choices, choices." Cat dumped a stack of paper onto her desk. "Sabine, take these down to advertising, tell whoever is in charge there that if this is not done right then I will fire them, and then you will go to Noonan's and bring me my coffee _hot_."

"Yes, Miss Grant," she answered. She slid her chair back and scurried away as dignified as she could manage.

Kara stood there, stunned. Surely, she must be in some kind of alternate universe. Siobhan had replaced her, Cat didn't know who she was, and her job was now—well, she didn't know what her job was, only that she now worked in publishing.

Cat released a long suffering sigh. "Kayla, Karen or whatever you're called. Get back to work before you waste any more of my time." She spun back toward her office, missing the pout Kara had produced at her words.

* * *

Kara's first instinct was to call Alex.

She ducked into a bathroom stall and immediately dialed her sister. She was fairly confident Alex was still an important person in her life. When she had checked her phone, the wallpaper had been of the two of them together and her calendar had been marked with a myriad of sisterly plans.

"Hey, what's up?" Alex answered, a little out of breath. "I can't talk long, I'm at work."

"Alex, I need your help. Something has happened and I don't know what to do!"

"What? Kara, slow down. What happened?"

"I think I'm in an alternate universe! It's nothing like the black mercy which means your Kara might be stuck somewhere else but I have no idea what is going on and I really want to get back home and I don't know to do that!"

There was a pause. "Kara, are you okay? You're still not having nightmares are you?"

"This isn't a dream! I was fighting an alien and there was an explosion. Next thing I know, I'm waking up at my apartment and everything is different! I'm Cat's assistant but today she didn't know me. Siobhan a.k.a. the Silver Banshee is hers instead!"

"What—who the heck is the Silver Banshee?"

"Exactly my point!

"You're not making any sense. Did you hit your head?"

Kara palmed her face. "No, Alex. I'm serious. This isn't my world." She sighed. "Look, can you ask J'onn if he knows anything about this?"

"Who's Jon?"

Oh boy. Kara needed to be more delicate about this. The differences between this Earth and hers may very well be staggering.

"Um, do you still work at the DEO?" Kara asked. She crossed her fingers.

There was a loud clank from the other end and a series of muffled voices. "I'm okay, I'm okay. Get back to work," Alex growled, sounding far away. Then she was back on the phone. "How do you know about that?! Just who are you and what have you done to my sister?!"

Kara chuckled hollowly. "Like I said, I'm Kara—but probably from a different universe."

* * *

Kara trudged off the elevator onto the publishing floor, depressed. Once the information had sunk in, Alex had lost all candidness from her voice. While she believed Kara, she didn't necessarily trust her. It just so happened that she was currently on a top secret mission in the middle of nowhere and couldn't do a damn thing about it. And since she would rather pull out her own fingernails than let another ranking agent handle her sister's matters, Kara had been strongly advised to keep to herself and disrupt as little of her doppelganger's life as possible.

Honestly. Kara had been nice. It hardly warranted a bulls-eye on her forehead. She knew how to behave. It wasn't like it was her fault she was stuck here and that her doppelganger was nowhere to be found. Seriously.

She made her way to the corner breakroom and stuffed as many pastries as she could into her mouth. She hadn't eaten breakfast this morning and was starting to emote grouchy with a capital G. If she could also eat her feelings at the same time, then so be it.

"Kara? What are you doing?" someone asked from behind her.

She whipped around, a scone halfway in her mouth.

"Winn?" she mumbled. A puff of powdered sugar flew from her mouth, courtesy of the donut she had shoveled in a few seconds earlier.

Winn cringed. "Whoa, you look like you've been in an eating contest. Did you skip breakfast and dinner last night too?"

Kara flushed to the tips of her ears. "No, I'm uh, stress eating." She rubbed some of the powder and glazes from various fruit pastries from her mouth and shirt. "Sorry."

"If it's anything you should be sorry for, it's coming in to work a half hour late. I called you several times but you didn't answer."

Right. Kara had ignored those. She hadn't wanted to mess up whatever life her doppelganger had here but unfortunately it seemed she was failing superbly at that.

"Sorry," she said again. "There was a slight mix up this morning."

Winn gave her a peculiar look but didn't say anything more. He walked over to the coffee machine to make himself a coffee. Kara couldn't help but think his behavior was a little cold.

"Um, are you mad at me?" she asked tentatively.

His frown deepened. "Why should I be? It's your life. I only covered for you because you agreed you'd do the same for me."

"Oh." She wringed her hands. She should really shut up now but she never could let sleeping dogs lie, literally and figuratively. "Can I ask you a strange question? You see… I kind of got into an accident last night and my memory's a little off… On a scale of one to ten, how close are we as friends?"

Winn stared at her.

"Are we not friends?" Kara tried again.

"Are you serious?"

"Humor me."

He stared at her some more. "You're serious."

"I am."

He ran a hand through his hair, stretching the tips. "Did you go to the hospital?"

"I did and everything's fine," she hummed, unconcerned. "My memory should come back in time but it would be nice to know beforehand which memories are good and which are compromised. When I got into work, I thought I was Cat's assistant and almost got into it with Siobhan."

"Well, Siobhan would have hated you on principal. I broke up with her because she wanted to blackmail you and Olsen."

"So we are friends?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Kara, you're the one who started pushing me away. I'll ask if you want to hang out or game and you'll brush me off. I'll ask if you want to grab lunch together and you'll say that you're busy. I mean, I tried. You just kind of shut down on me and I don't know why. At first, I thought you were heartbroken over Olsen—"

"Why would I be heartbroken over Olsen?" Yep, she said it as if she wasn't crushing hard like a grade schooler on him when he first started working at CatCo.

"He moved back to Metropolis. You really don't remember? It's like you're a completely different person."

"Literally am," she whispered under her breath. "So, you said at first you thought I was heartbroken."

"Yeah, but eventually I got the feeling that you were seeing someone else."

"Who?"

He shrugged. "I don't know! You're the one who started keeping me at a distance!" He picked up his coffee roughly, the contents sloshing out a bit. "Look, we have to get back to work. The new intern is hovering at my desk and I think our boss is looking for you."

He stormed out, leaving Kara to stare after him.

A second later, he walked back in. "Okay, I'm a sucker for saying this but if you really want to, we can get lunch later and you can ask me whatever you need to." He looked down at his coffee. "You bummed me out a lot in the past few months, Kara, but I hate seeing you like this. I'm hoping we can salvage this."

She gave a woeful smile. "Thanks, Winn. Me too."

* * *

Luckily, Kara was given menial tasks to complete from her boss, a portly fellow with easy manners, who she liked immediately. She wouldn't know what to do if she lost her doppelganger her job.

By the time lunch rolled around, she waited at the café across from Noonan's, which was far too busy to dine in, for Winn, who had stayed behind to help the intern with one more thing. She sipped at her latte as she waited for her second round of food to order up.

Her phone buzzed and Kara glanced at it hesitantly. She didn't want to invade in her doppelganger's life too much but also because majority of the texts in the past few hours had been sent by Alex, giving warning after warning about what should await her should she decide to go mess around. Really, this sister was a little uptight.

Her phone started ringing. Thinking it was Winn, she answered. "Hi, where are you? I've been waiting for ten minutes."

"Oh, I wasn't aware we were meeting each other for lunch," a familiar voice replied, warm and happy but confused.

"Lucy?" Her heart started beating faster. Talking to her had always made Kara nervous and she was honestly elated that they happened to be friends even in a different universe.

"Of course, it's me, silly. Who else would it be?"

Kara grinned even though Lucy couldn't see her. "Sorry, I'm waiting for someone and thought he was giving me a heads up but I am very glad to hear your voice. You wouldn't believe the kind of day I'm having."

"Really? Good or bad?"

"That's still up for verdict."

"I see. You'll tell me all about it later?"

"Yeah, of course." Hopefully she'll be back to her own Earth by then. She might just cry if she saw Lucy. First Cat, then Alex, then Winn. She could only handle so much. Seeing her friends _not be her friends_ made Kara about as homesick as she was for Krypton when she first landed.

"Well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry that I had to leave early this morning. I would've loved to stay in bed longer with you but you know, duty calls."

"W-what?" Kara stammered. She must have misheard but that didn't stop the images from flooding her brain.

"I'll talk to you later, okay? Try not to eat too many sweets, they'll make you sleepy. You'll need all your energy tonight."

"Wh-why?"

Lucy just laughed. "Oh, Kara. _You know why_." That was said with a little more innuendo than Kara was used to hearing from her friend. "I'll see you later at your place."

"Wait, at my place?"

Lucy hung up, leaving Kara to stare at her phone. There was a rustled in the seat across from her.

"Is everything okay?" Winn asked, a little out of breath. He slid his messenger bag off and dropped it in the space next to him. "Your face is all red." He waved his own hand around his face. "Like a tomato."

"If I said Lucy Lane and I were dating, how farfetched would it be?"

He furrowed his brows. "Very. You're both Olsen's exes." He unwrapped the sandwich he had ordered, paused and cocked his head. "Am I missing something here? Did you just tell me you were dating Lucy?"

"Maybe." Kara picked at her plate of food, heart still racing. "She just called and the conversation was kind of strange."

"You seem very happy about it though. I'll take it as a good sign." He took a big bite. "Oh, man. I'm hungry. That new intern is driving me nuts."

"I think he's nice."

"Of course you would. You think Miss Grant is nice."

Kara rolled her eyes but appreciated the effort Winn was taking to make small talk even when their relationship was strained. He was an awesome friend and it ached to think that her doppelganger might have lost it.

So why did her doppelganger push him away?

She glanced at a nearby customer as she and Winn chatted. The man was reading a newspaper and on the front page was a huge snapshot of Superman flying. She bit her lip. There was a time when she didn't let Winn get too close to her, casually debunking his efforts to go on a date and keeping their friendship as professional as possible.

But it was a question that plagued Kara all morning, ever since her phone call with Alex—did Supergirl exist? Did anyone other than her family know about her powers? She was reluctant to find out but subconsciously, she knew the answer. Alex must have never been in danger on this Earth, hence why she never experienced the rush of being a savior and why it never occurred to her to take on the same mantle as her cousin. By living in fear, her secret was never revealed to her friends nor did Alex ever tell her about the DEO.

Kara had been playing it safe so far on this Earth. Nothing had been changed that her doppelganger couldn't go back on. If Alex played it right, her doppelganger may never know the truth about what her sister did for a living. Cat, Siobhan, and her other coworkers certainly wouldn't care enough to remember. She may have sounded like a derp on the phone with Lucy but that was depressingly nothing new. And poor Winn, who was trying hard to mend their friendship, could easily be shunned again once the "amnesia" wore off.

But she couldn't help but wonder if the two had traded places for a reason. She missed what she had back home but in turn she could appreciate the different career path her doppelganger took, one that was less stressful and time consuming, and that her doppelganger had been brave enough to pursue a decidedly non-platonic relationship with Lucy.

But there were barriers holding her doppelganger back and Kara couldn't help but wonder if she should do something about it.

Really, it must be why an unidentified creature was wreaking havoc in the street outside the café.

Right in front of her face.

"Winn."

He pulled his gaze from the screaming masses outside their window, features drawn pale. "Yeah?"

"I promise I'll explain everything later but right now, I need your help."

* * *

Kara spared Winn an uneasy glance. He hadn't said anything since she had given all the details on the whole shebang in the aftermath of the fight, and in the quiet atmosphere of the elevator ride up, the tension wasn't doing her patience any favors.

She cleared her throat, startling Winn, who had been staring at the doors with a dazed expression on his face.

"So…" he stalled. "Let me get this straight… You're Kara Danvers from an alternate universe where you are a superhero called Supergirl, cousin of Superman, and who also works at CatCo Media but as Cat's assistant, and have a super friends team consisting of me, Olsen, Lucy, Alex, and her secret government organization."

She shot him a glare. "I did not say super friends—why do you always say super friends?"

"… It has a nice ring to it."

"Really?" She rolled her eyes and ran a hand over her hair, tucking in any loose strands. "So you're not freaked out?"

"No, I get the alternate universe part. It's like a nerd's dream come true." His eyes lost a little focus before returning back to Kara's. "What I don't get is why I needed to know how _incandescently in love_ you are with Lucy."

Kara blushed shyly. "I don't know. I guess I'm kind of awed that my doppelganger had enough game to woo her."

"Okay, I may be your best friend in the other universe but I sure this is what sisters are for. I do not need to hear you say game and woo in the same sentence."

The elevator doors opened and the pair exited, Kara sighing into her hands. "This Alex thinks it's my fault that something happened to her sister. She was so mean to me!"

"I'm sure she doesn't mean it. She's just worried about Kara. We all are."

"I know. Ideally she would be on my Earth. I just hope no villains appear since she's probably a noob."

Winn elbowed her in the side and pointed to the crowd standing around the television. "Speaking of villains, looks like you're already making headline news."

They merged with the group, watching as the reporter gravely described the attack that occurred just minutes earlier a block away from Noonan's. The screen cut to several cell phone feeds of the creature in question, large and reptilian with a maw full of teeth, smashing the concrete and tossing vehicles. It shot acrid breath from its throat, which knocked out pedestrians as they tried to flee. It probably would've eaten them too if Kara had not intervened.

The other coworkers around them conversed nervously under their breath about the incident, inserting exclamations and scrolling through their feeds on their phones. Some even went to the windows to see if they could sight the scene of the crime.

Suddenly the feeds were showing Kara going head to head with the monster and the reporter explaining how she had stopped it with super strength and speed, and had potentially saved the civilians of National City. Of course the reporter also went on to rant about the credibility of the mysterious heroine, who was reminiscent of Superman, and whether or not she was a threat.

Kara, on the other hand, was overly critiquing the matter of her suit. She had taken Winn's navy blue sweater to cover her house symbol and had seared eyeholes through a handkerchief tied around her eyes as a mask. She hoped it was enough to protect her doppelganger. The red and blue colors might be a giveaway though.

She sighed mournfully.

"You owe me a new sweater by the way," Winn whispered, picking at the button up he was wearing underneath. "You know, there's a proper way to remove a sweater—if your elbow gets stuck, _you do not pull with super strength._ "

She whirled on him. "I couldn't get out! It was strangling me!"

"How have you not mastered changing in and out of clothes? It's like a superhero requirement!"

"Comic book baloney. Whoever wrote it haven't bit their tongue trying to pull on their trousers at super speed."

"What, that croissant sandwich couldn't get down fast enough?"

"… Shut up."

* * *

"Where are you, Alex?" Kara whined after reaching voicemail. "I just got back home, I mean, to your sister's place, and now really would be the perfect time to fix this."

She hung up and fell back onto the couch, glancing gloomily around the apartment. It was nearly identical but it couldn't feel less like her home. What bothered her were not the odds and ends that were in different places or the movies she had never heard of on her shelf but the fact that there was clearly a second person who spent a significant amount of time there.

The differences were subtle but Kara, who had now realized that person to be Lucy, couldn't be more attuned to her presence. There were foods and snacks stocked in the kitchen that were not Kara's favorites, more products than necessary in her bathroom and on her dresser, and a drawer set aside for Lucy's clothes.

Kara had slammed that drawer shut fast when she realized what was in it, flushing a deep shade of red that was sure to put her cape to shame.

She also realized that the scent she smelled this morning was because of Lucy sleeping in her bed and that was when a cold shower was in dire need.

She needed to wash off the debris from the fight earlier anyway.

She dawdled away fifteen minutes in there, taking the time to wash away the dust from her hair, and emerged feeling refreshed and energized. She toweled off her hair and pulled on a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of shorts, exchanging her work clothes for easily replaced workout clothes. She was sure her doppelganger wouldn't mind but it couldn't hurt to be respectable.

She checked her phone to see that Alex had sent her a message while she had been in the shower, indicating that she would be there very soon. Kara worried her lip. Alex was bound to have endless questions for her and Kara wasn't necessarily sure if she should answer them all. She also kind of wished that Winn was with her but nope, he had "plans" already. Kara highly suspected that he was scared of Alex.

Feeling hungry, she padded to the kitchen and raided the fridge. There were a lot of leftovers and Kara obliged lovingly. She popped a container of fried rice into the microwave and was about to devour a piece of chocolate cake when she was grabbed from behind and pressed against the fridge.

She blinked, hands grasping empty air where the plate should've been. She zoned in on the intruder, who had a head of wavy dark hair and sultrily painted eyes.

"Lucy?!" she yelped, feeling light headed all of a sudden.

All she got in reply was a frenzied kiss on the mouth and hands going where they should not be.

Kara could die right now and be totally fine with it.

Lucy's mouth was hot, her body was warm and firm against hers, and the sounds she was making was heavenly and was doing dangerous things to her restraint. Kara couldn't help but kiss back, reveling in the euphoria of want and happy, happy dreams, but when Lucy ran her fingers along the edge of her waistband, Kara knew she had to stop it.

"W-wait, Lucy, stop!" Kara grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back, breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, panting as she tried to embrace Kara again.

"Um?!" Kara darted her eyes to the microwave. "I have to eat first!"

"You want to what? Are you serious?!" Lucy's face was flushed and her lipstick smudged.

The microwave went off beeping.

"Yes!" Kara nodded her head furiously. "I have to eat first! See, the rice is done!"

Lucy did not look amused. When she realized Kara was resolute, she huffed loudly and took a seat on the couch facing the window. She pulled out a mirror and fixed her makeup. Her jacket and purse had been thrown to the side, along with a set of keys. Yikes. No wonder Kara was ambushed. Lucy had a drawer. Why wouldn't she have a key as well?

Kara fixed her clothes nervously and busied herself with removing the contents from the microwave. She had effectively destroyed the mood and was feeling rather conflicted over it. She had to get out of here before she ruined everything. This wasn't her life.

She took another peek at Lucy, who still looked mad but was now occupying herself with a tablet. Work, probably.

Kara shoveled in her food, barely taking the time to peel away and pop another container into the microwave. When she had finished three more plates of food however, she realized that it may be out of character for her to consume so many calories, especially when she looked up to find Lucy staring with her mouth opened.

"Where did all the food go? Did you eat it all?" she asked, voice high.

"Um, no?"

Someone banged on the door.

"I'll get it!" Kara announced loudly and hurried over. She yanked it opened to see Alex and Hank clad in full agent gear. "Hi! About time!"

Alex, who looked like hell rolled over, immediately looked as if she ate a lemon. "Who the heck did you make out with?!"

"What?"

"I told you not to do anything!" Alex yelled. She barged in, ready to rain fury upon her. "Did you make out with my sister's girlfriend?"

Hank whispered, "Miss Danvers, you might want to check your face," as he passed by. Glancing into the mirror by the door, Kara was horrified to discover that Lucy had left lipstick stains around her mouth. She rubbed at it ferociously with a wet napkin.

Lucy, alarmed, got up to defend Kara but when she caught sight of Alex, she froze. "Agent Danvers?!"

"Major Lane?!" Alex whipped toward Kara. "You're dating Lucy Lane?!"

Kara held up her hands. "Um, not actually your sister, remember? And for the record, I did not make out with her. She jumped me."

Alex looked ready to strangle someone. Boy, her doppelganger was going to get it. If Lucy was still Major Lane, then she was still working with her father and that was a big no-no.

"What is going on?!" Lucy exclaimed, eyes darting between the two. "What are you doing here with Director Henshaw? Are you sisters?"

Kara answered yes at the same time Alex answered no.

Lucy backed away, confused. "Kara, I don't understand. What is going on?"

"Um, how much am I allowed to say?" Kara asked, uncomfortable with the attention.

Hank cleared his throat. "Ideally? The less, the better."

"Oh, no. You will not do this," Lucy pointed to Hank. "I deserve to know what's going on. I know it has to do with the DEO. You wouldn't come here in uniform with your weapons if it weren't. What does Kara have to do with all this?"

"Due to standard procedure, I must tell you that it is none of your business," Hank droned, by the book.

"Kara?" Lucy pleaded. "Whatever is going on, I can help you."

"Kara, don't you dare say anything!" Alex interrupted. "It's not your call."

"What does it matter if we tell her? She's probably going to find out anyway," Kara argued.

"Don't you think you have ruined Kara's life enough?" Alex growled. "You've tainted everything! She kept her life personal for a reason! You think I didn't see the news? You're a fool if you don't think you've put her in danger!"

Kara swallowed tightly. "I didn't—I couldn't let those people get hurt. Kara wouldn't have either."

"She doesn't go looking for trouble like you do. She likes the way her life is now! You just had to go fuck it up!"

"That's hardly my fault!"

"It is if you expose _her_ secrets! Is that what your life is like? Running around in costume like Superman? I'd hate to think what she's going through right now if that's the case!"

Kara clenched her fists closed. "That's not fair! You don't have to right to judge me because Alex and I have been through more than you have! And if she's in my place, then the last thing I would be is worried because my friends, my family—are the best support system she could ever ask for!"

"Well, she's not here, is she?! We've searched our databases, asked our specialists, strained dry every last resource only to find out that we can't bring her home because we can't begin to develop the technology for it! So how did you get here?! What are you hiding?!"

Kara stared her, lips pressed tight. It hurt. It hurt to have Alex say these things to her, especially when it was out of fear and desperation but for her to accuse her, to look at her like that—Kara didn't know how to handle it.

Alex, who was in every way like her sister, blamed her.

And Lucy, wonderful, beautiful Lucy, who was no doubt putting the dots together, was looking at her in disgust.

So Kara fled.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Supergirl. This is fanfiction.

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Not only did I hit a major writer's block but I started a new job so life has been busy. I wanted to finish this however, so please enjoy!

* * *

Okay, she didn't go very far. Just to her roof because she didn't actually want to leave. Using super speed had ensured that none of the three occupants left in her apartment would know where she went so she had some time to herself before they were on to her.

She sniffled, leaning her arms on the ledge of the brick wall. She had shed a few tears out of frustration. Maybe she had messed up her doppelganger's life. She was sure she had lost Lucy and if it was anything compared to the feelings Kara had for her own Lucy, then her doppelganger would be devastated.

Rao, it hadn't even been a day.

She gazed out onto the darkening skyline of buildings and bright lights. She loved this city, loved its people and its brilliance. She couldn't imagine not being their Supergirl. Was she so different from her doppelganger? Would she ever feel that call to duty?

"Miss Danvers?"

Kara turned around to see Hank. "Director Henshaw."

He walked over to stand next to her, facing the city as well. "Agent Danvers and Miss Lane are in quite a state over your disappearance."

"Good," Kara mumbled. "And you?"

He offered a rare smile. "I have a feeling you know who I truly am and would therefore know that it wouldn't be very hard for me to find you."

She looked hopefully up at him. "J'onn J'onzz?"

He bowed his head. "Yes, indeed. I was quite startled when Agent Danvers asked whether I knew a _Jon_."

Kara shook her head in disbelief. "Yeah, he's kind of my boss and mentor so I was hoping you'd have some advice for me."

"You work at the DEO?" he asked, surprised.

"As Supergirl, yeah."

"Ah, Supergirl." He nodded his head. "Simple. I like it."

There was a brief period of silence. Kara crossed her arms. "I know you want to ask but I think maybe it's better that I don't say anything. I don't want to ruin things more than I have already."

She looked back out, soaking in the sight of pink tinged clouds as the sun sunk past the horizon. J'onn was quiet and stoic next to her and she was broken out of her reverie when he spoke again.

"May I ask if Alex and I are still on good terms?"

She decided it couldn't hurt to give him a bit of hope. "Of course, we all are."

"Hm," he grunted but looked satisfied with the answer.

The sun was waving its last goodbye, drowning in the deep blue darkness when Alex found her way onto the roof.

"There you are!" Alex panted, running forward. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Hank, why didn't you com me?"

"I ah, needed a moment to speak with Miss Danvers." He gave her a dry glance before moving to the side to allow the ladies a modicum of privacy.

Alex flexed her fingers, wanting to reach for Kara's hands but settled for staring dolefully at the ground.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said those things." Alex squeezed her fists tight and looked up remorsefully. "I was angry and everything was unraveling and I took it out on you when you were the last person who deserved it. You're Kara." She let out a weak chuckle. "Not mine but you're Kara. I know you are. You probably blew your first birthday cake into the wall just like she did. If the other Alex was here, she would knock my lights out."

Kara stepped closer. "Well, it was actually at Mom. The cake, I mean. And Alex wouldn't have laid a hand on you. I wouldn't have let her."

Alex smiled wryly. "Of course not. You know where she hides her stash of snacks. You'll just threaten to eat them all."

"Are you implying that all Karas think with their stomachs?"

Alex shrugged. "Are you trying to tell me otherwise?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "Alright, fair point."

Alex's lip wobbled a little as she grasped Kara's hands. "I don't know what I'm going to do if we don't get her back."

Kara slowly wrapped her arms around her, folding herself into the familiar presence. Kara patted her back gently. "Hey, don't lose all hope yet. I have one more idea, though it's kind of a longshot."

"What is it?"

"Do you happen to have a superhero called the Flash?"

* * *

"Lucy?" Kara announced as she entered the apartment. It was a better time than any to smooth things over while Alex and J'onn searched through their databases for a Barry Allen.

"Yeah, I'm here." The voice came from the bedroom.

Kara slowly treaded in, warily watching the brunette who was sitting dejectedly on the bed. "Is it alright if we talk?" Kara asked.

Lucy nodded.

"Um…" Kara began. "I know this wasn't how you envisioned the evening to go and I wanted to apologize for everything that has happened. I'm sorry I'm not the Kara you know." She took a deep breath. "And I'm sorry for fudging your relationship."

"I wouldn't say _fudged_ ," Lucy said quietly. "I still care for Kara very much. I just didn't realize she was keeping so much from me."

"Please don't hold it against her. I'm sure she didn't mean to lie to you. It's just that it's such a dangerous world out there. I've been taught that no one should know about my powers because there were people out there who would want to use or destroy me."

"You mean people like my father."

"Well..."

"Look, Kara. You don't have to explain on her behalf. I heard enough from Director Henshaw and Agent Danvers to put the picture together."

Kara's face fell. "So you're breaking up with her?"

Lucy hardened. "No! I'm not giving up on her. Is that what your Lucy is like? Still doing things to win her father's favor?"

"My Lucy?! No, she's not like that. And we're not together!"

Lucy blinked. "You're not? I just thought—with the way you looked at me, that you love her."

"Am I really that obvious?" Kara sputtered.

Lucy smiled wryly. "You both are. That's why I know I have to try. I know Kara loves me. She must've been struggling so hard with all this. I knew she was holding something back from me. She tried to tell me before but she must've been afraid."

Kara moved to sit next to her. "Hey, at least the cat's out of the bag now. We're trying our best to get her back and when we do, I hope you two can work things out."

"And what about you and your Lucy?"

"I think that ship might have sailed. I'm just happy that we were able to become great friends even after she found out I was Supergirl."

"Supergirl? Is that in any relation to Superman?"

"My cousin," Kara beamed. "Or, well, Kara's cousin."

Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "Wow, my father would blow his gasket if he knew all this." She picked at a loose thread. "I still think you should tell her."

"I can't. I don't want to lose our friendship. Plus, we kind of work together."

"I can tell it's eating at you. You don't want it to be something you regret. That's not the Kara I know."

Kara shrugged.

"She might even love you back." Her eyes went soft. "I did. I love Kara so much it hurts. I can't imagine not being with her." Lucy placed a hand over Kara's. "Just think about it, okay?"

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place, Alex?"

"Yes, CCPD. You said you wanted to find a Barry Allen in Central City, right? You've already tried his home. Unless he's currently moonlighting as the Flash somewhere, I don't know where else he would be."

Kara groaned, swiftly changing from her super-suit to civilian clothes in an alleyway. "I knew I should have eaten those cheeseburgers before I left. Flying all the way here is making me hungry."

She could hear Alex rolling her eyes through the phone. "Just get going, doofus. You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork I have to finish before I can leave. Cheeseburgers can wait."

"Alright, I'll keep you updated." Kara hung up and fixed her hair as best she could. She really hoped this Barry was the Barry she met long ago. If not, maybe he at least knew something about jumping across universes. She casually walked in and took the elevator up. She had on her workout clothes and a pair of canvas shoes, her trademark glasses and her signature ponytail. She must have looked pretty innocent because no one gave her a second look.

She exited on the main floor, gaping a little in awe at the high ceiling architecture and the golden statue embedded in the wall behind her. It had a less modern feel than CatCo Media and there was a different kind of busy and urgency humming through the atmosphere. She could see how Barry would love working here. It was very urban. She wondered if his station was among any of the desks before her.

"Excuse me? I was hoping to speak with Barry Allen?" she asked a man passing by with a mug in his hand.

"Yeah, sure. He's in his lab upstairs. If you don't mind me asking, is this police business?" He had a deep and warm voice, stern frown-lines but friendly eyes.

"Oh no, it's not police related," Kara stuttered as the man observed her. "I was just hoping to speak with him? It's kind of personal."

"Well, alright," he said carefully. "I can take you up to him. Just follow me."

He headed for the stairs along the wall and Kara sprinted to catch up with him, meeting him stride for stride once they were even.

He held out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Detective Joe West."

"Kara. Kara Danvers," she replied, reciprocating a firm shake.

"So, how do you know Barry?" He held a door open for her as they passed into a hall.

She fiddled with her glasses nervously. "We're kind of friends. We helped each other out once and I was hoping to ask for his help again."

"Is it serious? Because Barry isn't a police officer."

"I know but it's nothing like that. It has more to do with… science."

"Ah, okay. Definitely not my field then."

They made a right into another high ceiling room, filled with shelves, tables, and lab equipment. There were flasks everywhere and papers pinned upon papers on corkboards. Kara couldn't fathom what they needed all that for but lab work was out of her expertise—that's what she had Alex for. The tall windows were a nice touch, allowing a significant amount of streetlight into the workspace and she imagined fluorescent lights would hardly be needed on a sunny day. There was even a roof light.

She followed Joe in, shrinking behind his larger frame. She could feel her legs start to turn to jelly.

Two fellows were seated at a desk by the windows, one tall and lanky and the other sporting shoulder-length dark hair, arguing over something on the computer screen. At their footsteps, the taller brunette Kara knew as Barry, glanced up.

"Hey, Joe. Check out what Cisco found on the—" he froze, green eyes locked on Kara.

She held up a hand meekly. "Hi?"

Barry stood up gaping and took a few steps closer. He looked to Joe as if to ask what was going on. Joe raised his eyebrow, returning the question back at him.

"Kara? Is that you?" Barry asked.

She played with her fingers in the center pocket of her sweatshirt. "I'm a Kara, yes. The question is, are you the right Barry?"

"Am I the only one missing something here?" Cisco asked. "Are we playing a game?"

Barry shushed him with a hand. He paced the room and halted before Kara. "Window rescue, ice cream, donuts," he tried.

Joe and Cisco looked at him as if he were crazy.

Kara grinned, recognizing the events on her Earth. "The Blur, Silver Banshee, Livewire."

Barry burst into relief and brought an equally eager Kara into an ecstatic hug. "Not that it isn't awesome to see you but what are you doing here?"

" _I don't know!_ That's why I'm here. I need your help getting back home." She ruffled his hair. "How have you been doing?"

"Good! I looked for your doppelganger here but she wasn't Supergirl so I figured I should wait until she was. I didn't want to freak her out. How about you? Tell me everything."

"Wait," Cisco interrupted. "You're Supergirl?" He hung onto Joe's sleeve, half faint. "Can I have an autograph? I'm a huge fan. You're like the female Superman!"

"Is it okay to talk about all this with them?" she asked.

"Yeah, they're fine," Barry mollified. "They're part of my team. Joe practically raised me. And this is Cisco."

"Oh, _your team_ ," Cisco retorted. "I see how it is. You know, I have powers too. If it's a multiverse problem, I'm your go-to guy, not Barry."

Kara held out a hand to Cisco. "Hey, it's nice to finally meet you. Barry mentioned you back on my Earth."

"Supergirl knows my name," Cisco said dreamily.

"Well, we're already introduced, but it's nice to formally meet you, Kara," Joe said. "It's nice to see Barry have loyal friends even if they're from a different world, so to speak."

Barry rolled his eyes. "How about we all get some Big Belly Burger? We can catch up and show you S.T.A.R. labs. Between all of us, I'm sure we can get you home."

"Big Belly Burger?" she asked. "Is that a restaurant?"

Cisco dropped his mouth. "Don't tell me there's no Big Belly Burger where you're from? I don't think I can live without it."

Kara managed a frown and a smile. "It's that good?"

"It's that bad," Barry answered cheekily. "Think fast food meet carnival food. Greasy, fattening, high sodium, artery clogging, calorie packing, hate yourself junk food."

"Addicting junk food," Joe added sagely.

She looked at all of them and beamed. "I'm in."

* * *

Kara tripped and took a tumble into the grass, rolling several times before coming to a stop. She sat up and glared at the portal. She expected a smoother trip, and it was, until she misjudged the landing and nearly went head first through a tree.

She stood up and dusted off her super-suit. The portal spun for a few seconds before disappearing into thin air. It was just as Cisco said would happen so Kara circled the area a few times to remember its location and flew into the sky, heading straight toward National City. It was time to get her doppelganger home.

After Big Belly Burger, the gang had brought Kara to S.T.A.R. labs to work on her problem, and along the way, she had been introduced to Caitlin and Joe's two children, Iris and Wally. They stayed until it was well into the night, dragging the inevitable until it was time to send Kara off.

It was bittersweet leaving them. Kara could see herself becoming great friends with each and every one of them but the particle accelerator explosion never occurred in the Central City on her Earth. There was no Flash or Vibe. She couldn't even begin to imagine how that conversation would go and like Barry, knew some things were better left alone.

She didn't forget Alex, J'onn, Lucy, or Winn of course. She made sure to call them before she left, thanking them for their help and asking them to be the support her doppelganger needed. She may have also cried a bit. Saying goodbye to them was almost like saying goodbye to the same ones on her Earth but it at least soothed her heart to know that her doppelganger would be in the best of receiving hands.

As the city came into view, Kara considered her options. She could head to the DEO but it was unlikely her doppelganger was taken there. Her doppelganger was not actually Supergirl and would be guaranteed to expose her identity. If not the DEO, she figured her apartment was a safe bet. It was familiar and late and her doppelganger would probably be getting ready for bed right about this time.

She made a sharp curve toward her apartment, dipping slightly so she could see inside her windows. She didn't want to drop in unannounced if she could help it but it turned out her worry was baseless. There was no one home, x-ray vision confirmed that. She guessed Alex didn't trust her doppelganger to go off on her own and took her home with her. Kara changed her course for Alex's place.

Alex lived further downtown a few minutes away, in a quaint apartment with long windows. It made it easy for Kara to swoop around the corner and fly right in without onlookers seeing her—not that she made it a habit to fly through her sister's windows. The risk was too high.

In her eagerness, she was going to let this one slide.

She landed quietly in Alex's bedroom, careful not to knock down the lamp on the dresser. It was dark but Kara could hear noises from the living room so she padded out and down the hallway. She smiled at the fishes in the tank, tapping them a quick hello, and walked into the living room. She grinned. Alex and Lucy were sitting on the couch with their backs to her, watching a movie on the television. Kara hadn't realized how much she missed them until she saw them again with her own eyes.

They both looked as lovely as ever. Alex was home to her and Lucy, well Lucy made her heart race and her face warm and caused the most wonderful feelings in her. She wanted to wrap herself in their embraces, sink into the cushions, and go into a deep, dreamless sleep.

But where was her doppelganger?

She heard a shuffle from the hallway behind her. She turned and met identical wide blue eyes. Her doppelganger was wearing a cardigan over a blouse with a bow from the collar, a skirt, and panda flats. She also had on the same pair of glasses her father had given her and had her hair tied in a ponytail.

It was seriously eerie. It was like looking in the mirror and having the image move independently.

"Hi…" her doppelganger said cautiously. She must have just come from the bathroom, the scent of Alex's favorite floral soap wafting freshly around her.

Kara blinked and closed her jaw. "Hi…" she repeated, just as carefully.

At their voices, both Alex and Lucy jumped from the couch and pulled out their weapons. Startled, Kara stumbled back into the wall.

"Whoa! It's just me!" Kara placated with her hands up. "I'm back!"

Alex lowered her gun. "Kara? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, in the flesh. I don't know how I can prove it to you unless we share timelines. The last you saw me was that explosion with the tentacle monster, right?"

Alex put her weapon back into her holster and ran forward to hug her. "You have no idea how worried I was about you! Don't ever do that to me again!"

"I'm sorry, I guess?" Kara replied. "I'm still not sure how it happened in the first place."

Alex released her with a shake of her head only for Lucy to bombard her next. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said, wrapping her arms tight around Kara. "I missed you so much."

Kara blushed. "I missed you too." She caught her doppelganger giving her a knowing look over Lucy's shoulder.

Kara cleared her throat awkwardly and pulled back. "Did anything happen while I was gone? Did you take care of the monster?"

"We did," Alex answered, then with lament, "We didn't know what to do when we realized you were gone. We had no idea how to get you two home."

"I hadn't known either until I remembered that Barry Allen might belong on the other Earth. He and his friends helped me get back," Kara explained.

"That cute, fast superhero guy who took over my lab?" Alex inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"He's not that cute," Lucy mumbled, then turned red when she realized everyone was staring at her. "I just meant that looks aren't everything? Sorry, it's been a long night."

"Yes, it has," Alex agreed. "Please tell me you have a way to bring Kara back. Not that I don't like you," she held out a hand to the doppelganger, "because you are great but I'm sure your family and friends miss you too."

"No, biggie. I understand," she replied. She regarded Kara with a curious study. "It's nice to finally meet you. I heard so many amazing things about you, I'm actually kind of jealous! Who knew I could be so cool?"

"Well, I am pretty rad, aren't I?" Kara rubbed at the back of her neck. "I can't help it, I'm awesome."

Alex groaned but her doppelganger took it in stride, releasing a happy chuckle. "It's nice to know we're still invested in ourselves. For a long time I was a wallflower—not that I mind it! But it's nice to stand out once in a while." She directed a genteel gaze at Alex and Lucy before returning to Kara. "It's been surprise after surprise but I really enjoyed my time here. I'm just glad no bad guy or end of the world crisis showed up. I wouldn't have known what to do!" She looked at the floor, a little embarrassed. "You're a lot braver than I could ever be. Just like Clark."

"Hey, don't say that!" Kara exclaimed. "I was just like you before I became Supergirl. I know you have it too. When the time is right, you'll know."

"I hope so." She cocked her head toward the super-suit. "I love the design by the way. You think I could borrow it?"

"I can't really stop you, can I? But Winn created this for me. Maybe you should give him that chance too."

"Oh, he's not really my friend anymore…"

Kara grinned. "Don't worry, I fixed that for you."

Her doppelganger looked a little horrified. "You did? W-what else did you do?"

As if suddenly realizing the predicament she was in, Kara fumbled out a meek excuse. "Perhaps it would be better that they explained it to you on the other side?"

Alex and Lucy groaned.

* * *

Kara stared really hard at a patch of grass. Clad in shorts and a tee, she looked every bit like a summer girl when in actuality, the weather was borderline chilly. The other ladies were waiting by the road next to the car, using their last minutes to say goodbye. She had canvased the area, the very same one she arrived in, to double check that everything was ready and good to go but there really was no other trick to it than to activate the device, attach it to her doppelganger, and have them both run as fast as they could until Kara gave her an extra push into the wormhole—much like she did with Barry.

She gave a yawn and unwrapped an energy bar as she took a seat on a protruding rock. She had wandered off on the pretense of giving them some privacy but really, she just wanted a moment to think.

On the car ride over, she had wanted to see how much her sister and friend knew about her doppelganger's life but it soon became apparent that there was no need to—her doppelganger had practically given her life story in a frantic attempt to prove her identity when Alex, Lucy, and Hank had discovered her.

From there on, it appeared that her doppelganger was released from the DEO quickly to stay in the company of Alex and Lucy, the pair whom she was most comfortable with. Her doppelganger called in sick to work and proceeded to have an enviable off day with two wonderful ladies. Lucky.

Alex seemed particularly taken with her, treating her as if she was half her age than the twenty odd years she was now.

"She's the Kara before Supergirl happened. See how doe-eyed and innocent she is? She doesn't have to pretend she's badass!" Alex had crowed.

Kara mentally gave Alex a strike but was given enough information to know that while Alex secretly enjoyed doting on her, she also enjoyed teasing her mercilessly.

Lucy, however, was harder to read. She had smiled a lot and was friendly but had generally been reserved throughout the ride. Kara had tried her best not to stare. Lucy was even more beautiful than she remembered but moon eyes were bound to make her uncomfortable. Kara had tried several times to lure Lucy into their silly small talk but Lucy gave clipped answers and made as little eye contact as possible.

It made Kara feel weird. She had missed Lucy a lot and now she was being distant. Kara couldn't make heads or tails of it and there was a bit of rising panic dwelling in her stomach, for maybe Lucy had clued in on her feelings because of her doppelganger's apparent ones for her girlfriend.

Kara stilled when she heard Alex approaching. "Is everything okay?" Kara asked, finishing off the rest of her bar and balling the wrapper into her pocket.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Alex replied with an arched brow. "What are you doing all the way over here?"

Kara shrugged. "Just thinking."

Alex squeezed onto the rock next to her even though there was barely room for two to sit comfortably. "You didn't answer the question."

"Neither did you."

Sadness passed over Alex's face but she braved a grin and wrapped Kara into a firm hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"You said that already!" Kara protested in mocked annoyance. She returned the hug of course, and rested her head on Alex's shoulder. She loved the feeling of protection it gave her. Alex gave hugs freely to few but had always been willing to comply to Kara's affectionate whims, even when Kara was being a huge pain. It helped that Alex wasn't afraid to applied hearty strength and therefore gave the best hugs.

"I'm family, I can say that as many times as I want," Alex said. "You have no idea how worried I was and how relieved I am now."

"Please don't cry," Kara begged. "Because if you do, I definitely will, which means Kara will too and it will just be a messy goodbye."

Alex sniffed sharply. "I wasn't going to." She stared hard at the stars. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

Kara didn't need to ask who. Alex saw herself as Kara's guardian and probably felt the same toward her doppelganger. In some ways, her doppelganger was more naïve about the world, which was pretty much the boon for tugging Alex's heart strings.

Kara blew a loose lock of hair from her face. "Of course she'll be okay! She does have her own Alex too, friends, and a girlfriend."

"Is that what's bothering you?" Alex asked.

"What?"

"Her girlfriend, Lucy?"

Kara could feel the flush running up her face again. If there was a record, she had probably broken it. "Why would that bother me?"

"Since you got back, you've been starting at Lucy _a lot_."

Guess she wasn't as subtle as she thought. "I'm just worried. Doesn't she seem a little distant to you?"

Alex frowned in thought. "Maybe but I think she's just being considerate. When Kara told us who her girlfriend was, Lucy kept her distance because she didn't want to make Kara feel like she was cheating. Kara was prone to affection when she forgot herself. You could tell she missed her girlfriend a lot, especially when Lucy did something familiar so we both tried our best to respect that."

"Oh." Kara bit her lip. "But do you think it made her uncomfortable?"

"Who? Lucy?" Alex narrowed her eyes. "Does it make you uncomfortable? You're awfully obsessed…"

"Why would it make me uncomfortable? I just don't want things to be weird between me and Lucy."

Alex opened her mouth to retort but stopped as if something occurred to her. She widened her eyes. "No way."

"What?"

"You do like Lucy. I mean, I suspected—you talked about her half the time when you were gushing about James and now your doppelganger is dating her…"

Kara directed her gaze straight ahead. "Not sure what you're talking about."

"Come on, I'm not going to be mad. It's cute."

"You're being annoying."

"It's kind of perfect. She already knows about Supergirl so that's one thing out of the way, and she is kind of our boss so you don't have to worry about hiding work from her. She knows enough of your life to be a solid support when you need it."

"You're forgetting that it all relies on one contingent."

"I'm sure she's interested. I mean, look at Kara," Alex gestured to her and Kara was horrified to find out her doppelganger was shooting weird looks in their direction.

"Rao, she probably heard us with her super hearing!"

"Yeah but she's dating Lucy. That has to mean something." Alex hummed in further thought. "And Lucy has been single since she broke up with James."

"So?" Kara said grumpily. "Doesn't mean it's going to happen."

"You're Kara Danvers. When have you ever backed down?"

"It has nothing to do with backing down and everything to do with risking our friendship," Kara glowered. "Lucy is one of my best friends."

"What is it that you always tell me? You'll never know if you don't try? She might like you back."

Kara covered Alex's mouth with her hand when she noticed Lucy was making her way to them. The doppelganger was following hesitantly behind her. Alex struggled a bit until she realized that the other two women had joined them.

"Is everything alright?" Lucy asked. "You two look agitated. We saw you arguing from over there."

"Nope! Everything is fine!" Kara said a little too brightly. She turned to her doppelganger. "Are you ready to go home?"

She nodded and the two walked to a clearing several meters from Alex and Lucy.

"My girlfriend knows, doesn't she?" her doppelganger said quietly. "That I'm not from Earth."

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing Kara could say.

"I guess it's okay." She looked at her feet. "She was bound to find out sooner or later. You did the hard part for me."

"Still my fault. I shouldn't have been so reckless." Kara tapped her fingers in guilt. "But she loves you. You'll have to talk to her but I think it'll be okay."

"Really, you think so?"

"She did tell me to try with Lucy."

Her doppelganger beamed at that. "Will you? I didn't mean to eavesdrop earlier but I heard you and Alex talking about it."

"Apparently everyone wants me to go for it," Kara sighed.

"Best of both worlds?" she shrugged. "I can only hope my girlfriend is as understanding and supportive as your Lucy."

"I don't think she likes me like that…"

"Well," her doppelganger blanched. "Before I realized I was on a different Earth… when I saw Lucy, I kind of kissed her and I think she liked it. She reciprocated for a few seconds before she demanded an explanation."

Kara turned an unnatural shade of purple.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought she was my girlfriend! And it wasn't like she pushed me away!"

Kara clenched her fists tight and counted backwards from ten. "It's alright… I guess we're sort of even."

She gaped. "Excuse me?"

"I didn't realize your girlfriend had a key to the apartment and she kind of, you know, against the fridge."

Her doppelganger was doing a good imitation of an angry, pouting toddler. Was that what she looked like when she was irritated? Her thought was derailed when her doppelganger sent a fist flying at her face.

* * *

Kara pouted the entire ride back to her apartment. Alex, who was driving, volleyed between anger and thinly veiled exasperation. Lucy, who had long given up trying to pry information out of the blonde, shot her looks of confusion and concern from the front seat.

Honestly. They were making a big deal out of nothing. The scuffle had been short. It wasn't like the pair had demolished public property, being out in the middle of nowhere and all, so really, Alex didn't have to start acting like her mom, and Lucy, bless her heart, didn't have to look so worried. Her doppelganger threw a punch and she threw a punch. Then they rolled and wrestled on the ground a bit before Alex and Lucy charged toward them and both Karas, unwilling to inadvertently hurt them because of their proximity, had ceased in their brawl.

It had barely been a fight. Kara's lip was a little sore and her doppelganger was probably feeling the same about her eye but that was beside the point. All that matter was they made up and were able to collaborate a safe return home for her doppelganger.

Mission accomplished.

So Alex can stop giving her disapproving looks through the rearview mirror.

Alex slowed and pulled into a parking spot across the street from Kara's apartment. She glared at Kara one more time for good measure before getting out of the vehicle. Kara and Lucy followed, the former reluctantly.

Alex crossed her arms, hair hanging tiredly over her face as she leveled Kara with a stern look. "Try not to get into any more trouble, please? I would like a nice, quiet weekend," she scolded.

Kara resisted the urge to puff her cheeks out but Alex did have a rough day and the least Kara could do was indulge her so she nodded. Alex stepped away to give Kara and Lucy some space.

"So… what a day," Lucy said tersely.

"Yeah…"

Lucy reached for the nonexistent sore on Kara's mouth but halted before her fingers could make contact. "I hate seeing you hurt, even if you are a girl of steel."

"Now you know how I feel when I see you or Alex get hurt in combat." Kara recalled when Lucy had sprained her ankle chasing a perp through rough terrain. Kara had hovered over her like a mother hen until Lucy had threatened to break out the kryptonite.

At Lucy's steely response, Kara added, "It's already gone! There won't even be a bruise. I'll just sunbathe in the morning and I'll be good as new!"

Lucy smiled softly and pulled her into a goodbye hug. That was when Kara saw the curious look on her sister's face over Lucy's shoulder. Oh, no. Kara could literally see the wheels going overdrive in her brain. Kara shook her head. She wanted her sister to stop plotting now.

Alex raised an eyebrow in reply and shrugged. "Goodnight, Kara," she said, and got into the driver's seat.

Lucy pulled away from Kara with a mellow farewell and reached for the passenger side door. She furrowed her brows when it would not open. "Hey, Alex, can you open the door?"

Alex rolled down the window and replied in a language Kara didn't understand. Lucy however, turned an interesting shade of pink. It must not have been nice because Lucy became quite agitated and retorted, presumably in the same language, rather forcedly. They argued back and forth in this way for a while, with Kara standing there like an oblivious idiot before Alex started the engine and began to peel out.

"Put your big girl pants on, Lane!" Alex said, and drove off without another word, leaving Lucy gaping at her taillights.

"Is everything okay?" Kara asked. "What was that about?"

"Nothing!" Lucy said loudly. "Nothing at all!"

"But Alex just left without you…"

"I can see that, Kara. I'm standing right here."

"Do you want me to go after her and speak to her?" Kara asked. She didn't understand why Alex would drive off without her or why Lucy didn't want to talk about it at all. What could be so private that the two resorted to keeping Kara out of the loop?

Lucy turned pale. "No! That won't be necessary. I'll just call a cab and be on my way. There's no need to bother Alex."

Kara was really confused but since Lucy was offering nothing further, she decided to let it slide. "I can fly you home," Kara suggested. "I just have to change into my suit first."

"No, it's fine. You had a long day, a cab is no trouble."

"It's no trouble at all and I am way faster than a cab. Much better company too."

Lucy chuckled. "I don't doubt that but really, a cab is fine."

"But I insist!"

When Lucy shook her head again, Kara ran across the street to her building, knowing Lucy had no choice but to follow.

"Kara!" she shouted. She was huffing slightly by the time they reached Kara's floor. Keeping up with the blonde was not easy.

Kara, who had not cleaned up the living room before heading out for the mission the day before, did an impressive face plant with the floor. Lucy scrambled over the knapsack and pile of magazines to help her up but only resulted in tripping over a stray couch pillow and slamming her head against the blonde's.

"Ow! Your head is like a rock!" Lucy moaned, clutching at her skull.

"I'm sorry!" This time it was Kara who had to help Lucy to the couch. The close proximity did Kara no favors and she could feel her pulse pick up and her hands get clammy. "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

"No!" Lucy protested. "It just smarts, probably more than your sore lip."

Kara scrunched her face. "Ow. I better get some ice then."

Lucy pulled her back down. "Don't be such a baby. You might not be used to pain but trust me when I say it's not serious."

Kara pouted a little but her features made her look more unsure than chastised. She may have grown up used to the benefits of the Earth's sun, living a life where the minor irritations of stubbed toes and leg cramps were idiosyncrasies she could never relate to but she would give up her powers in an instant if it meant her loved ones never felt pain.

Lucy cupped Kara's face gently. "Hey, I'm fine. Look at me."

Kara's eyes trailed upward to the angry patch on Lucy's forehead. While it was likely to leave a bruise, it didn't look swollen enough to form a bump. Kara had tended to enough children during her babysitting days to attest to that.

Kara nodded and leaned into the warm hand. If she was a cat, she would be purring in content.

Lucy relaxed, adopting a blissful smile. "I can't believe I'm going to do this. Alex better be right."

"Alex? Right about what?" Kara perked.

Lucy removed her hand, curling them around Kara's instead. She was momentarily shy, casting doe eyes from beneath her dark lashes. "Kara… Would you go on a date with me?"

Kara blinked. "What?" she squeaked.

Flustered, Lucy glanced away. "I don't think I can get much simpler than go out on a date."

" _Why?_ "

"Because I like you! Why else?" This was delivered smoothly but despite her display of bravado, Lucy's demeanor was flushed with embarrassment. "Just say yes or no before I freak out!"

"Um, yes?" Kara pinched herself then slapped herself in the face.

"You sure know how to raise a lady's confidence, Kara," she said, bereft of any amusement.

"I'm sorry! I wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming!" Her attitude turned dopey. "I've been in love with you for so long, it was almost too good to be true!"

"You're in love with me?" Lucy's eyes were wide.

Kara froze like a deer in headlights. "Is that too much?"

"No… I… I love you too." Lucy shifted closer, watching her reaction carefully. She slowly leaned in.

Kara mirrored her and their noses met clumsily before their lips closed in chastely. Emboldened, she pressed in and began languidly moving her lips against Lucy's, who reached around to slip her hands in Kara's hair. Kara did the same and within a few seconds, their kissing had turned into a fervent make out session. Kara melted when she felt Lucy's tongue on her lips and fought the urge to mewl in satisfaction. Everything was so warm. She could feel the acceleration of their pulses under her skin, every breath they took, every moan and shiver. It was beginning to feel too much for Kara, who had never gone so far with anyone before.

Lucy, sensing the change in pace, pulled back from Kara and rested her head against the blonde's. "Wow."

Kara indulged in a private smirk. "Was it better than with my doppelganger?"

This time Lucy did turn full on red. "She told you about that?!"

Kara hummed. "Well?"

"Of course it's better with you! You and her aren't the same." Lucy gave her another kiss. "You're special. No one could replace you."

Kara grinned like an idiot. "Good."

"Was that what you two were fighting about? But wait, she threw the first punch…"

Kara had the decency to look sheepish. "If it's any consolation, you're special too. You kiss way better than Lucy."

Lucy scooted back with her arms crossed. "Are you kidding me? You and that— _that hussy!_ "

Kara was a cross between apologetic guilt and indignant defense. "Hey, don't name call. It was a case of mistaken identity. She thought I was her girlfriend!"

Lucy closed her eyes in aggravation. "No wonder Kara took a shot at you. I would too if someone made out with my girlfriend."

"Lucy, I'm sorry," Kara pleaded.

"Why are you apologizing? _How far did you two get?_ "

"Uh…" Kara didn't really want to answer but honesty was best and she should just rip the bandage off. "It happened really fast, she was just going for it but I stopped her before she could put her hand down my pants."

Kara hadn't see Lucy that livid since Lois dropped in for a visit and had a blow out with their father. "That was more information than I needed, Kara! God, you enjoyed it, didn't you?"

Kara wisely did not answer but Lucy took that as a confirmation and pulled Kara into another mind-blowing open mouthed kiss, slick and expert, and nipped at her bottom lip before releasing her. Satisfied with the dazed look in Kara's eyes, she ran a hand down the blonde's neck. "I wish I could leave a hickey on you."

Kara blushed. "You're not still mad?"

Lucy sighed grouchily. "No, just annoyed. And extremely jealous but we weren't together when both incidents happened so it wouldn't be fair. I'm just counting my lucky stars that Lucy can't cross universes to murder me."

"She wouldn't. Us Karas wouldn't let her do that." Kara wrapped her arms around Lucy and nuzzled into her neck. "I've never been in a serious relationship before but I want to try with you." She hesitated. "I'm afraid of losing control. Passion like that," she fumbled at the words, "Passion like that scares me. I don't want to hurt you."

Lucy leaned in and ran her fingers along Kara's hair. "You haven't so far. Lois and Clark somehow made it work." Lucy winced. "I can't believe I just said that."

Kara giggled.

"We'll take it slow. One step at a time," Lucy said, kissing her head. "I still haven't taken you out on a date."

"We haven't been doing a good job of taking it slow," Kara pointed out. The two were practically molded together on the couch.

Pink dusted Lucy's cheeks. "You're right. I should get home. Alex is going to be grilling us tomorrow and I rather make it as less embarrassing as possible."

"You're going to give her hell at work, aren't you?"

"Was that ever up for question? She drove away without me, that witch. I'm her boss, dammit." Lucy glowered, shaking her fist.

Kara pushed her hand down. "You're cute."

"That wasn't supposed to be cute!"

"Okay, whatever you say!" Kara kissed her again and skipped to her room to change. Seconds later, she hopped out, fully donned in her superhero outfit. Lucy, who had been careful never to ogle her friend, let her eyes linger longer than was appropriate. It occurred to Kara now that the suit was form fitting and fodder for anyone who found her attractive. That made duck her head shyly and Lucy, catching her reaction, stood up and lifted Kara's chin with her hand.

"Come on, Supergirl. Fly me home."

Kara lifted Lucy into her arms, waiting for the brunette to wrap her arms around her shoulders before jumping out onto the balcony. She grinned beatifically at her. "Have you even thought about where you're going to take me to on the first date?"

Self-conscious, Lucy shook her head. "Spur of the moment but don't worry, there will be food."

"You make it sound like I love food more than you!"

Lucy laughed. "I know your stomach is the way to your heart! Why do you think I've been taking cooking lessons?"

"Well, I'm not arguing," Kara replied cheekily and leaped off the balcony.

Lucy clutched tightly to her as Kara flew higher into the sky, past satellite dishes and water towers as she swerved left and right. The sky was relatively cloudless and a few tiny dims of stars were able to make it through despite the vibrant lights of the bustling city. It was a breathtaking duel of endless sky and beautiful man-made landscape, and Kara was elated to be able to bring this treat to Lucy for the first time.

Lucy watched with twinkling eyes, huddling closer to Kara for warmth, the brisk chill hitting home closer with its high winds than the lax, buffered ones on solid ground.

"This is amazing," Lucy said, breathless. "I never had a view quite like this. It's exhilarating."

"I'm glad you think so. This is one of my favorite sights." She flew a little higher, just so Lucy was able to see the eerily bright moon. "I love flying. I was never able to do it much before I was Supergirl."

Lucy burrowed closer to her neck, her breath causing hot tingles against her skin. "Thanks for sharing it with me." She touched Kara's cheek. "I think I would like to count this as our first date instead."

Kara hugged her close, feeling happier than she could recall being for a long while. She had a loving family, great friends, and an awesome, budding relationship with the girl of her dreams. She was so happy, she thought she might burst.

Lucy stroked Kara's face. "You're thinking too much."

"I'm just happy," Kara said and pressed a kiss to her lips, one of promises to come.


End file.
